Thanks to Chris and Helen I’ve been addicted to a show called Top Chef which is on the Lifestyle Food Channel on Foxtel. It’s kind of like Survivor for Chefs except that they get to sleep in beds with a roof over their heads. Like all reality type shows the drama is in the relationships but what I really enjoy it for is listening to the way their food is evaluated and judged. Watching a show with experts in the field gives you a hint in to all their unwritten rules such as never putting three sets of white food items on a white plate.

Some of their tasks have been to create an entree from a vending machine or catering for a famous celebrity dinner. As the chefs get knifed off the show the challenges get harder until the final two are cooking for some of the best chefs in the business. To be a top chef you have to be adaptable, cater to your clientele and make exciting, inivative and of course tasty food.

Pauline has been complaining about me watching the show without any output so tonight I attempted Elia’s “Organic Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner“. Waffles with maple syrup sound normal but once you add refried beans, cheese, ham and eggs it becomes quite enchanting. I was only using what was in the fridge so it didn’t have the layers of flavour I’d prefer – maybe next time I’ll put a sharper cheese in than the jarlsberg that was there and I’ll definitely add a little bit more maple syrup.

Some of the judges on the show have blogs on the website which are really cool because they make you think more about the food on your plate and expect a little bit more than average. Of course, there is a danger of turning in to a food snob if you get too far in to it which can be a curse because suddenly 3/4 of your meals are shit. But sod it, a good ham, cheese, tomato and onion sandwich can be killer if it’s laid in the correct order and made with love.

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